We welcome our five Leaving the Tarmac interns on board

“ It’s my privilege and honour to mentor them and set them on a path to achieving goals that not only enrich their own lives, but also add tangible value to others”

It’s with enormous pleasure that we announce the appointment of five interns who have joined the business and philanthropic ecosystem of Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. The five young people are on board for a year of professional growth and development and mentoring by Aigboje himself.

The interns, that were selected from more than 500 applications, are Raqibatu Zukaneni (a BSc Agricultural Economics and Extension graduate from Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Edo State); Awe Oluwatosin Doyinsola (an MBA graduate from  the UNICAF University, Lilongwe); Jeremiah J. Enoch (a law graduate from  Bowen University, Iwo); Vivian Eze (a law graduate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka); and Sadiq Yusuf (an economics graduate from Ahmadu Bello University).

The five positions, that are fully salaried, were created to celebrate the publication of Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede’s memoir, Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa. The work was published in March, 2021 and has become a national bestseller.

“I am delighted and proud to welcome these young people on board,” Aigboje says. “They exemplify the intelligence, spirit, tenacity and can-do attitude that’s characteristic of the Nigerian youth. It’s my privilege and honour to mentor them and I look forward to working with them, to fine-tuning their aptitude and talents, and to setting them on a path to achieving goals that not only enrich their own lives, but also add tangible value to the lives of others.”

He says his own career benefited immensely from mentoring advice and support he enjoyed in his early days as a banker. It is his responsibility, and his honour, to do for others what was done for him as a young man.

In Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa he says: “I hope that the story I am about to tell will be an inspiration to other young entrepreneurs who are setting out with big dreams, great visions and high hopes. I believe we must speak confidently about our story of transformation if we are to inspire others to achieve the same.”

Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa tells the story, in his own words, of how he and his partner, Herbert Wigwe, acquired lackluster Access Bank and turned it into a financial services powerhouse in 11 short years.

The book memoir has been variously described as an account “that gives young Nigerians the inspiration to dream, weather the storm and achieve greatness” (Amina J Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General); and “a powerful tale of leadership and institution-building” (Ngaire Woods, founding dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, UK).

Watch this space for more news on the interns, and to follow their progress over the year.